My thoughts, in no order: The plot is in deep second to the characters. It could be Bill Murray’s best performance. Contrary to my fellow commentators in the webisphere, it’s not a romantic comedy, in that it’s not very funny and it’s not a romance–it’s two people reaching out to each other in their loneliness. And it’s stayed with me for days. I liked it a lot…I think. Ask me again in six months.
August 24, 2011
July 13, 2011
Brick in 13 seconds
A noir-tinged murder mystery in the vein of The Maltese Falcon. Lots of rapid fire dialogue and tight performances. Here’s the twist–high school students are the protagonists. Therein lies my only problem–my limited knowledge of what high school is like made it hard for me to believe what I was seeing. It’d be like office workers suddenly talking like they’re nuclear scientists.
Oldboy in 13 seconds
Okay, let me be forthright here–I’m not recommending you see this. There’s some r0ugh stuff, and the third act is deeply disturbing. But I will say this: Three days later and I’m still chewing over it, trying to figure out how the story drew an emotional response out of me. I admit, I’d kill to write a script that has that affect. Maybe the Spike Lee-directed American version will be tamer. But, I ask, will it still pack a punch?
The Lincoln Lawyer in 13 seconds
A better-than-average legal thriller, enjoyable from beginning to end. It actively tries to avoid the cliches that you’d expect in this kind of movie. And the performances are strong, particularly by Matthew McConaughey. Yep, you read that right. Note to Matty–dude, swear off Romcoms for a year. You’ll thank me for it.
July 3, 2011
The Blind Side in 13 seconds
It took me a while to agree to see this–I have a semi-conscious bias against films that I think want to make me a better person. But instead I found an engaging, winningly-acted storyline that was inspiring and, more importantly, was actually fun to watch.
July 1, 2011
Notorious in 13 seconds
I know Hitchcock was a genius, and Ingrid Bergman is quite possibly Hollywood’s most beautiful woman ever. But I have a hard time suspending my contemporary sensibilities enough to believe her cheesy pillow talk with Cary Grant, and the end arrives too lazily. It’s much better than the similarly-plotted Mission Impossible II, but at least it had a nice Tae-Kwon-Do match at the end…
June 28, 2011
Smilla’s Sense of Snow in 13 seconds
Strong performances by always-reliable Gabriel Byrne and Julia Ormond, who joins Scarlett Johansson as a member of the “Coolest Movie Star Names Ever” club. I don’t know where she went, but I want her to come back. Oh, yeah, this movie…besides the beautiful landscapes, we get a somewhat implausible story that overpowers its simple murder-mystery setup.
June 18, 2011
The Verdict in 13 seconds
Not a lot of flash, or, from our standpoint anyway, new ground broken (I think most of what we know of lawyer tv came out after this one). Just a great legal thriller and character study, expertly acted by Paul Newman.
June 15, 2011
The Town in 13 seconds
Contrary to my initial expectations, I was surprised. Just like Gone, Baby, Gone, you have human characters who want to change and meet some success. Ben Affleck has a real eye and ear for the grit and grime of the street (admittedly some of it pretty rough). I’m looking forward to his next offering.
June 14, 2011
The Fighter in 13 seconds
Ever notice how great sports movies aren’t really about sports? Here we’ve got a guy with fierce drive and skills trying to make it on his own. Working against him is lots of difficult history and one of the most stifling, enabling families ever to grace the screen. It’s a wonder he made it through puberty, let alone to the championships.
Tip o' My Brain 